


A Second Chance

by sixwingedbee



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:08:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25063651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sixwingedbee/pseuds/sixwingedbee
Summary: In a dark room inside the Radiant Garden castle a small figure shot up with a scream. Cerulean eyes were wide and the boy's body was shaking in fear. The boy lifted a hand up and put it on his chest, listening and feeling for his heart beat. "It's still there."What if it was all a dream? What if one apprentice woke up from that dream, only to relive every moment of it again? Ienzo isn't sure if it's something he can stop.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10





	A Second Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly this is one of my OLD fics from FF.net that I'm bringing over here and tweaking. This and a few others have been sitting stagnant for ten years and I still get emails about them. Might as well try and absorb all that good lore we're gonna get with KH: MoM, right? 
> 
> Some of this might not even be accurate anymore to KH but we'll burn those bridges later, won't we.

_"Axel! What are you saying to him!?" Zexion's shouts were in vain as they touched Axel's ears. He had his own agenda and no threats or begging would change his course of direction._

_"Y'know..." Axel said, putting a hand on his hip. "He's a good place to start as any."_

_Zexion's look of terror turned to one of anger. "You can't do this!" his words were cut short as the Replica grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground. He gasped and choked, struggling against the strong grip. He let out a scream as he felt his soul, the one thing he had left in this world, and his power being drained from his body._

_Soon he went silent as his body faded, the Replica absorbed him and his powers. There were no traces of the illusionist._

_"So sorry, Zexion.." Axel said softly. His face held no sign of remorse. In fact he looked pleased with this outcome._

"You just found out way to much."

In a dark room inside the Radiant Garden castle a small figure shot up with a scream. Cerulean eyes were wide and the boy's body was shaking in fear. The boy lifted a hand up and put it on his chest, listening and feeling for his heart beat.

"It's still there..." he whispered softly. He closed his eyes and sighed, his nightmare replaying in his mind. What a horrible dream. Some strange creatures called Heartless had destroyed him and his "family", but they had survived. They had become soemthing worse than the Heartless, Nobodies. Cold, cruel beings that had no emotions or regard for the lives of others. Both things reminded him of the Unversed.

The worse part of the dream was that he, or that "Nobody" Zexion, had been destroyed. Not by an enemy but by someone who seemed to be considered a friend. That man seemed so familiar. Those bright green eyes that bore into your soul...

He opened his eyes again when he heard the door open.

"Ienzo?" came a deep voice. "Are you alright?"

Ienzo nodded, putting his hand down. "I'm fine, Master Ansem." he said, looking up at his adoptive father.

Ansem's orange eyes clouded over a little. He missed it when the young boy would openly call him 'father' or even just Ansem. Now it seemed like they were too emotionally detached from each other. His little boy was now nothing more than apprentice. "... If you're sure." he said with a sigh. "Try to get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow."

Ienzo tilted his head, forgetting about the nightmare for a moment. ".. Sir?"

Ansem nodded. "Yes. Xehanort has been developing a few theories for our research and he wants to go over them with us tomorrow." They were all so close to unlocking the secrets of the heart and in return to getting to the key to Xehanort's memories.

Ienzo swallowed. This was how the dream started.

Ienzo didn't go back to sleep after Ansem left. He was too terrified to sleep. His dream, all those horrible things that happened.. The sense of deja vu was too strong. Were these dreams prophetic? 

Would the horrors of a non-existent world come to pass?

Ienzo leaned back into his pillow, resting his hand back on his chest. He listened to the steady rythm of his heart. It was hard to imagine that someone could lose something so important to them. The heart was what gave one life, strength, emotion, and the need to go on. He needed his heart, he wouldn't give it up.

The small apprentice sighed and glanced out the window. The sun was starting to rise above Radiant Garden, showing a unique beauty of the city. Ienzo was certainly lucky to live on such a beautiful world but it was quiet moments like this that made him think that his home truly was the most beautiful place in the cosmos.

Ienzo got out of his bed and dressed himself in the usual jeans, black shirt, lab coat, and slipped on his shoes before leaving his room. It was time to face the day and try to keep his nightmare from coming true.

"Good morning, Ienzo," said Aeleus as the tiny apprentice passed by him in the hallway. It was an odd sight seeing those two talk to each other. They were complete opposites, both mentally and physically.

Ienzo blinked and looked up at the large man. The guard was his own personal lap dog. Aeleus didn't realize it but he did a lot for Ienzo, and he was manipulated all the while.

"... Good morning.." Ienzo said softly. "Are you heading to the meeting room?" he asked, still staring up at the giant with his blank eyes. He saw the faintest of nods. "Good. Walk with me." he said simply and they headed off together.

The walk was quiet, as it always was with the two. Ienzo and Aeleus were not ones for conversation. Aeleus spoke with his actions and Ienzo used others to speak for him.

In minutes they got to the meeting room, where Ansem and the other apprentices were waiting.

"Good morning you two." Ansem said, smiling warmly at them.

Ienzo mentally cringed. Reality still mirrored his dream exactly. It almost made him sick to think of the fate that awaited his guardian. That warm smile and those kind eyes would soon be filled with sadness and regret. His mouth would be turned into a frown from the pain of being betrayed.

Ienzo was going to do what ever it took to change that.

"Well now that we're all here, I believe Xehanort had something to show us?" Ansem glanced over at his second youngest apprentice.

Xehanort's eyes were void of all emotion as he looked at the others. However there was a smile on his lips as he explained his most recent finding; a being without a heart.

Ienzo stared in horror at the small black creature. It's large yellow eyes were unblinking as its body moved with jerking motions. It growled and scratched at the cage it was trapped in. The cage reeked of strong magic. And a distinct smell that Ienzo had come across before, but he couldn't put his finger on it. In the back of his mind it was ringing alarms. 

"I know it's uncreative, but for now let's call it a Heartless."

All the apprentices stared at the creature, the Heartless. All had their own reactions.

Even looked at it in fascination. He truly was a scientist, always curious about everything. Dilan watched it warily, unsure if that tiny cage could keep it contained or not. Aeleus really didn't have an identifiable reaction, but one could be certain that he didn't like the thing. Braig was looking at it, a large smirk on his face. It was like he knew a secret, a big one.

Ienzo quickly moved as far away from the cage as possible. That thing is what started it all.

"Get rid of-" his voice was cut off by Ansem's.

"It doesn't have a heart? But how is it still alive?" asked the older man as he looked at it, circling the cage like an old hawk.

"That's what we're going to find out," Xehanort said calmly, watching Ansem with eyes rival to his. "After all, as scientists it is our duty... Right, Master Ansem?"

Ansem nodded, running Xehanort's words over in his mind. The tone of the young apprentice's voice uneased him. A million questions were running through his mind. Where did Xehanort find this creature exactly? Did it emerge from the shadows underneath the castle? It didn't look dangerous but those claws made him wonder how the apprentice got away with putting it in a cage without getting scratched up.

To many questions and no answers.

The older man looked at all of his apprentices, taking in their expressions on whether or not they should do this experiment. They had just recently built a large lab underground, they could do it there. It would be safer. But it was all up to them.

"What say you?" he asked, orange eyes having a trustworthy sheen to them.

The remaining apprentices, aside from Xehanort, hesitantly nodded their heads. They would do it if Ansem was willing to do it. And for Xehanort of course. If they could unlock the secrets of the heart they hoped they'd be able to finally unlock his memories.

Ansem then looked down at Ienzo. His opinion mattered the most to him. "What do you think, Ienzo?"

Ienzo was still staring at the Heartless, hatred and fear burning in his normally dull eyes.

"Doing this experiment is a foolish idea," he finally spoke after a few seconds of silence.

Even, Dilan and Aeleus slowly looked over at Ienzo, eyebrows raised. What on earth was he talking about?

Braig and Xehanort however looked furious.

"He's just afraid of the creature." Braig said suddenly, stepping close to Ansem. "Master Ansem, why listen to a child when it comes to something as scary as this thing? You know how afraid he was of the Unversed, it's no different here." his one remaining eye looked up at the blond man. "We'll do the experiment ourselves. Ienzo can stay with you or maybe even get out of the castle and make some friends his own age." he wasn't about to let all his planning go to waste. "After all he's just a child."

Ienzo glared at Braig. He knew what he was up to. Braig wanted to make Ienzo seem weak, afraid, inferior. He was afraid, and he was weak, at least physically. But he was just as good as the others. "Fine." he said. "Do the experiment. You won't get what you want though." he hissed to the scarred man before quickly leaving. No one could stop him.

Silence fell among the adults, awkward and heavy. It had been some time since the oldest of them dealt with any children. And the guards had little experience on their own. Ansem had motioned to Aeleus to get him. Usually Braig would be sent, but Aeleus was the one that could calm the child down. 

Xehanort's hand touched the knob first. "Perhaps it will be better if someone closer to his age talks with him." No one could argue with that logic. Not when they were clearly failing to connect with Ienzo as it was. "I'll find him." A slight bow to Ansem before he slipped out the doors, letting them shut with a heavy thud as he walked down the hall. Ignoring the frown Aeleus sent his way. The buzzing of talk once the his footsteps started.

Ienzo was one small child and this was a large castle. He couldn't get far. But there were many places he could get to, if he knew where to go. 

And they seemed to have an infestation of children as of late. 


End file.
